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Kevin Barton Takes Office as New District Attorney

HILLSBORO, ORE: Effective July 1, 2018, Kevin Barton took office as Washington County's new District Attorney. Mr. Barton won a contested election for the position on May 15, 2018, garnering 68.5% of the votes. Following Mr. Barton's successful campaign, longtime District Attorney Bob Hermann announced his decision to retire six months early and Governor Brown appointed Mr. Barton to serve the remainder of the term this year before starting his elected term in January 2019.

Mr. Barton has been a Washington County prosecutor for over a decade, most recently serving as Chief Deputy District Attorney supervising the Child Abuse and Juvenile units. Over the course of his career Mr. Barton has prosecuted many of Washington County's most serious crimes, including murder, child abuse, sex trafficking, elder abuse, and domestic violence. He developed a special expertise handling cases involving vulnerable victims, especially children, and was chairperson of the Washington County Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team. Mr. Barton continues to serve on the governing board of CARES Northwest, a collaborative community-based medical program whose mission is to stop child abuse. He is also a member of the Oregon DOJ's Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Intervention Advisory Council and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.

Mr. Barton now leads Oregon's second largest DA's Office of over 40 attorneys and 115 total employees. In 2017, the Washington County DA's Office reviewed over 11,000 cases for prosecution, served over 8,000 crime victims, and obtained court-orders for over $8 million in victim restitution.

"I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Washington County as their District Attorney," said Mr. Barton. "Washington County is my home and I will work to ensure it remains a safe place for people to live, work and raise a family."

As District Attorney, Mr. Barton will prioritize protecting vulnerable victims, increasing community outreach, and enhancing treatment courts and specialty programs for those dealing with mental health or addiction issues. Mr. Barton will also focus on initiatives to increase the capacity to work with digital evidence in criminal investigations and to ensure the safety of schools in Washington County.

Mr. Barton was raised locally and lives in Washington County with his wife and three children. He attended Gonzaga University and Notre Dame Law School.